Disputes over whether Grover Beach should raise its wastewater rates to pay for infrastructure upgrades continued on Monday evening as the Grover Beach City Council unanimously voted to approve a new wastewater rate structure that will see sewer costs increase by 90% by 2030. On Monday, the Grover Beach City Council heard a final report from city staff on whether increasing wastewater rates was needed to pay for sewer maintenance and infrastructure costs as the Proposition 218 public protest period came to a close. The protest period, which started April 14, required the council to send notices to every customer of the wastewater system explaining the rate change, why it was needed and giving them an option to send in a protest ballot. Had the city received protests from more than 50% of customers — or a minimum of 2,681 votes — the rate structure change would have been off the table.